Robert Westenberg (born October 26, 1953) is an American stage actor, acting teacher and professor. He appeared on Broadway in ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande J ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'', and '' The Secret Garden'', as well as several other musicals. Westenberg received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nomination for his performance in ''Into the Woods''. He was the musical theatre coordinator and associate professor in the theatre and dance department at Missouri State University and is now retired.

Early life and education

Born in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

, but raised in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

with his six siblings. Westenberg graduated Bullard High School in 1971, where he was active in sports, specifically football. He then attended California State University, Fresno. Westenberg received a master's degree from Denver’s

National Theatre Conservatory The National Theatre Conservatory was a three-year graduate acting school that in its last three decades was part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Founded in 1935 as the only congressionally chartered MFA program in U.S. history, it ...

Career

Broadway

He made his Broadway debut in the 1983 revival of '' Zorba'' as Nikos, for which he won the Theatre World Award. He played the dual role of a Soldier/Alex and understudied

Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

'' which opened in May 1984. He later took over Patinkin's leading roles of Georges Seurat/George where he played opposite Bernadette Peters in September of that year. He received a

nomination and won a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for his performance as Cinderella's Prince and the

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

in Sondheim's ''

'' (1987). It was during this show where he met his wife, Kim Crosby, who played Cinderella.Culwell, Logan
"Did They Finish the Hat? Where Are the Stars of 'Sunday in the Park with George' Now?"
Playbill, May 12, 2015 In 1990, he starred as Inspector Javert in ''

'' opposite Craig Schulman as

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

. In 1991, he starred with Patinkin again along with

Daisy Eagan Daisy Eagan is an American actress. Early life Eagan was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family. Her mother, Andrea Boroff Eagan, was a medical writer; she died when Eagan was 13. Her father, Richard Eagan, is a visual and performing artist. Da ...

, Alison Fraser and Rebecca Luker as Dr. Neville Craven in the original Broadway production of '' The Secret Garden''. In 2020, Westenberg directed the same production at Missouri State University, where he is head of the Musical Theatre department.

Other

In 1981, Westenberg played Norman Mushari in Kurt Vonnegut’s '' God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'' at Arena Stage. In 1994 and 2001, Westenberg starred as Scrooge’s nephew Fred in the musical adaptation of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas ...

'' in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

. In 1996, Westenberg was in the US National tour of '' Funny Girl'' as

Nick Arnstein Julius Wilford "Nicky" Arnstein (born Arndstein; July 1, 1879October 2, 1965) was an American professional gambler and con artist. He was known primarily as Julius Arnold, but among his aliases were "Jules Arndtsteyn", "Nick Arnold," "Nicholas Ar ...

opposite

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. ...

. It ended prematurely in November 1996 in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea le ...

. In 2002, Westenberg was in the US and Japan tour of ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is ...

''. Westenberg has been in several MUNY (St. Louis) productions. He played Henry Higgins in '' My Fair Lady'' in 2001 opposite his wife, Kim Crosby, as Eliza Doolittle. He played the roles of both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in the July 2007 St. Louis MUNY production of '' Peter Pan''.Gans, Andrew
"He's Flying: Francis Jue Is 'Peter Pan' at the Muny Beginning July 16"
''Playbill'', July 16, 2007 He reprised these roles in a 2009 production in Branson, Missouri, with

Cathy Rigby Cathleen Roxanne Rigby (later Mason, later McCoy, born December 12, 1952), known as Cathy Rigby, is an actress, speaker, and former artistic gymnast. Her performance in the 1968 Summer Olympics helped to popularize the sport of gymnastics in th ...

as Peter Pan. In 2012, he directed a production of ''

'' at Springfield Little Theatre.

Television and film

Westenberg's film credits include '' Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' and ''

The Ice Storm ''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.Third Watch'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and the short-lived series ''

Aliens in the Family ''Aliens in the Family'' is an American science fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC from March 15 to August 31, 1996, conceived as part of its '' TGIF'' lineup. Premise The show was about single dad Doug Brody (John Bedford Lloyd), who is abducted ...

''. He played Prince Raymond on the soap opera, '' One Life to Live'' from 1989-90. He reprised his roles of a Soldier/Alex and the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in the '' American Playhouse'' episodes of ''Sunday in the Park with George'' and ''Into the Woods''.

Stage credits

Filmography

Film

Television

Personal life

He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children. Westenberg lives with his wife, daughters Emily and Katherine, and son Joe in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...

, where he is musical theatre coordinator and associate professor in the theatre and dance department at Missouri State University. He was previously chair of the theatre program at Drury University."Award-winning actor to lead MSU’s musical theatre program"
missouristate.edu, February 1, 2016Gordon, David

theatermania.com, June 22, 2015"Robert Westenberg Bio"
masterworksbroadway.com, accessed July 2016

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Westenberg, Robert American male musical theatre actors American male film actors American male television actors People from Miami Beach, Florida Drama Desk Award winners Male actors from Miami Missouri State University faculty 1953 births Living people People from Fresno, California